Your
Relationship
Ecosystem
By Maria Sipka | CEO www.linqia.com
WEBINAR TO PAC MEMBERS | 1ST SEPTEMBER 2009
How businesses leverage
community tools to better connect
with their key stakeholders

Communities are
rarely used for direct
selling…
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kraskland/3473214142/

.. but rather as a
relationship conduit
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/st-stev/153582206/

8 Community Types
1. Corporate Voice Community
2. User-Generated Content/ Micro Site Campaign
3. Enthusiasts Community
4. Associations/ Subscribers Community
5. Loyalty Community
6. Innovation Community
7. Peer Support Community
8. Event Community
Source: Awareness

The Numbers
2,000+ social networks
160 million communities
1.6 billion people online
950 million social network members
350 million community members

See community tools
as means to liberate
your key stakeholders
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rattodisabina/

Before Now
Communication
Channel
Collaboration
Channel

Which means the
rules have changed
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandafarah/2465700760/

Take off your
marketing, PR,
advertising, sales,
market research…
hat for a moment
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/2416243832/

…and put yourself
into the shoes of your
key stakeholders
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aeter/2604233315/

A brief journey to…
Understand the role of
online communities in
your relationship
ecosystem
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mondocardine/3778923153/

The Relationship Cycle
Phase 1
Your
Retention
Offering
Results/ Setting
Pulse Check Objectives
Acquisition/ Community
Uptake Planning

Phase #1
Your Before you start…
What are you thinking
Retention Offering of offering?
Is there really a need?
Who are your key
Results/ Setting stakeholders?
Pulse Check Objectives How do they currently
behave?
Research
Acquisition/ Community Validate
Uptake Planning Crystalize

Phase #2
Paint a picture…
Your What does success
Retention
Offering look like?
Over what period of
time?
Results/ Setting How are they tied to
Pulse Check your business goals?
Objectives How and when will
you measure
success?
Acquisition/ Community You can’t manage
Uptake Planning what you don’t
measure

Phase #3
The community plan
Your What is your budget?
Retention
Offering
What internal +
external people will
you need?
Results/ Setting Build or white label?
Pulse Check Objectives Where will you gather
content?
Can you source
sponsors?
Acquisition/
Uptake
Community If you don’t have your
Planning own plan you become
a part of somebody
elses

Phase #4
Go get them!
Your How are they
Retention
Offering segmented?
Where do they hang
out?
Results/ Setting How will you reach
Pulse Check Objectives out to them?
What’s are the
different carrots you’ll
offer?
Acquisition/ Community
Focused
Planning
Uptake Targeted
Authentic

Phase #5
Return on investment
Your When do you know
Retention
Offering you’ve achieved
success?
How does your
Results/ Setting
community fit into
your stakeholders
Pulse Check Objectives life?
Formalized referral?
Integrating your
Acquisition/ Community CRM?
Uptake Planning The proof is in the
numbers

Phase #6
Don’t give up to early!
Retention Your Keeping your
Offering relationships engaged
Deepening
relationships
Results/ Setting Loyalty initiatives?
Pulse Check Objectives Evangelists
Aim to distribute the
workload by engaging
your community
Acquisition/ Community
Uptake Planning

Keep in Mind Always…
Transparency + Engagement +
Consistency + Collaboration +
Celebration + Simplicity +
Measurement = Community

Contact Details
TwiJer: Maria Sipka
Founder/ CEO
@mariasipka www.linqia.com
www.themoderatorcommunity.com
Tel: +34 626768788
maria.sipka@linqia.com
Barcelona | Geneva | Silicon Valley